Way of the Samurai 4
|platforms = }} Way of the Samurai 4 is a video game developed by Acquire and published by Spike for the PlayStation 3First Look: Way of the Samurai 4 and Ghostlight for the PC. It is the latest installment of the Way of the Samurai series, first released in Japan in March 3, 2011. The game offers a mix of story, combat and event scenes. From March 3, 2011 to July 23, 2015 it was exclusive to the PlayStation 3Two New Playstation 3 Exclusives Confirmed for Europe, an English version was announced on January 19, 2012 by Rising Star Games and the PC version was released on GOG on July 23, 2015 and on Steam on July 24, 2015. The game was released in Europe on October 5, 2012. On April 4, 2012, XSEED Games announced they will be publishing the game for the U.S. as a downloadable title on PlayStation Network with a release date of August 21, 2012.Way of the Samurai 4 Coming Exclusively to PS3 Plot The game is set in a fictional port town called Amihama during the last days of the Shogunate. Players can create their own samurai and choose to align themselves with one of three factions: the pro-government forces, the anti-government rebels seeking to repel foreigners, or the British Navy stationed in the city to negotiate a peace treaty. When the negotiations between the local government of Amihama and the British goes wrong after a Prajna attack at the meeting point, the Tokugawa Shogunate sends one of their Tairō to quash the revolt. The main story takes place over the span of five days. The character's decisions and actions will shape his path, and ultimately, his fate. Characters Protagonist :Like in previous games, the main character is a nameless rōnin who just came into town. Players can choose a youth, a young man, or a middle-aged man, and have access to more customizing options such as extra faces, clothing and accessories as endings and features are unlocked Foreign powers *'Laura Rita': The kind, idealistic daughter of a noble from Great Britain. She lost her parents, and now comes to Japan as a Goodwill Ambassador to sign a trade agreement. She lives in the foreign settlement called "Little Britain". *'Count Jet Jenkins' (aka J.J.): The British delegate in Amihama and a regular at the town's "Rising Sun" casino. A good, laid back, yet somewhat reckless man, he loves violence and will often engage in combat just for the thrill of it. He wields a pistol, but can also fight with a rapier when needed. *'Melinda (Megamelons) de Cameron': Captain of Laura's escort team, a female knight in golden armour, carrying a claymore. Despite being a strict and disciplined woman, she has a deep sense of honor and a softer side hiding behind her. Shogunate forces (Magistrate) *'Hikaru Kotobuki': Chief magistrate of Amihama and a master swordsman. He is strict, but a good man. *'Shigeru Moro': A magistrate skilled in unarmed combat. He cares deeply for his country's future despite his nonchalant look. *'Chief Minister Onsen Kinugawa': An old Tairō, father of the Kinugawa Sisters; a deceitful, merciless man who seeks to exploit the situation in Amihama for his own selfish ends. His name Onsen means "hot spring" (Kinugawa is a famous hot spring town). He has a group of ninja, the Black Masks, and a group of highly-skilled Samurai, the Demonscales, at his service. *'Kinugawa Sisters:' Mayu, Chika, and Yuri, 3 sisters who love to torture people. They inherit their father's wickedness, and rule the torture room. *'Toguro': Captain of the Black Masks, highly-skilled ninjas serving the Kinugawas. *'Madara': A mysterious masked kunoichi who serves the Kinugawas. Anti-foreigner forces (Disciples of Prajna) *'Reddo Akagi': Leader of The Disciples of Prajna, a group of isolationists fighting to protect the samurai era and Japanese culture. He is reckless, and hates all foreigners in general. *'Jinrai Kogure': A talented swordsman, second-in-command of the group. Silent but deadly, he is Akagi's childhood friend, and always tries to protect him. Uses the Iaido style of sword fighting. *'Akemi': The owner of the Toasty Truth Bar, which the group uses to gather information. She appears as a kind and gentle young woman, yet there's something mysterious about her. The player's decisions may alter her fate. Others *'Gunji Dojima': Swordsmith. Besides being a formidable fighter, he can repair, upgrade, appraise and recast the player character's weapons for a price. The player's decisions may alter his fate. Dojima is notable for appearing in every game of the series and this time there's even a sub-plot centered on him. *'Sensei:' A mysterious swordswoman who came into Amihama looking for her brother. The player's decisions may alter her fate. Same character who appeared in the 1st and 3rd games. Gameplay Endings, Events, and Customization :Acquire promised that it is much longer than previous games, and there are 10 endings. The game also features flexible events and cutscenes such as deciding whether you want to explore a cave or just turn around and walk away.Way of the Samurai 4: PS3 Exclusive Events are easier to follow, compared to previous games. There are more customization options than in the last game, players can fully customize their character such as age, hair, clothes, shoes, accessories. : Health and Energy :An energy meter is added in this installment. It regenerates life points (which are set at 1000) if the player is stationary or moving away in combat, and depletes when your samurai fights, nightcrawls, or is regenerating health. Food and sleep regenerate the energy meter. There are straw blankets in set locations outside (or in) the Dojo, inns around Amihama where you pay to sleep in, and any bed you can stand on can be used to sleep and recharge energy. : Combat :There is a wide variety of fighting styles and skills that a player can master. Swords can now be switched to any stance; and skills, once learned, are bound to the player, not the swords. Players then can assign learned skills to their own "school" of fighting style. :The "push and pull" mechanics in the first and third games are kept. A new special mode known as "Spring Harvest" is introduced, in which the samurai enters slow motion for a limited duration and can slash enemies repeatedly, and can be cancelled into a sheathing animation depending on the style being used. :The sword "heat" mechanics was removed and replaced by "durability points", which will drop gradually with use, and eventually weapons will break. This forces players to visit the Blacksmith regularly for repairs, unless their weapons are "unbreakable". : Sword Enhancement/Creation :Players can go to the blacksmith and choose to enhance their weapon's attributes (attack, defense, durability), repair it, or appraise it. Player can also ask Dojima to melt a sword and then use the metal to recast another sword. :The custom sword-making system introduced in Way of the Samurai 3 returns. In addition to normal parts like blade, hilt and grip, players can also add a charm that will give a special effect. Beside swords and spears, pistols and muskets have been added as weapons. Muskets are primarily used by British soldiers. : New features Proof of Life :Player's actions will affect the game world in the next replay. For example, if players killed a lot of town people in the last game, there will be more guards to hunt them down.Your Actions In Way Of The Samurai 4 Affect Your Next Life There are many foreigners in the game; but unlike the previous game, at the beginning your samurai will not be able to understand what they say (the texts will appear as "?????"). Players can convince the Shogunate to open a school to teach foreign languages, and later you will be able talk to foreigners. : Night Crawling :There is a minigame called "Yobai" in which the player can romance a woman by sneaking into her house at night, avoiding or knocking out family members, and pulling out the right futon to find her.Way Of The Samurai 4’s Stealth Scenes Have A, Well, Different Goal Even then, she will offer playful resistance, and player must try to throw her to bed. A turtle head will guide the samurai to his target. The player can practice "night crawling" with most female and male characters in the game, as long as the requirements are fulfilled. : Torture :Once arrested for doing bad deeds, your samurai will be sent to the Torture Room, where the three beautiful Kinugawa sisters will play some hellish minigames with your life.Way Of The Samurai 4’s Mini-Games Are Truly Torturous The tortures include riding a flaming wooden horse, being tied to a water wheel, and being pelted by huge stones. If the samurai survives the torture, the Kinugawa sisters will be impressed, and he can then practice "night crawling" with them. : Minigames :Beside various jobs that the samurai can get from different sources, players can earn money by going fishing, working as a gardener, an assassin, delivering love letters, or by flirting with foreign women.Ways To Make A Living In Way Of The Samurai 4 The samurai can also play Poker at the Casino, and Hanafuda at the Gambling Den. : Dojo :Players can open their own dojo, take on apprentices, and fend off challengers. The reputation of the dojo depends on the number of apprentices, and their quality. The player can tell any of the apprentices to "follow me", and they will fight alongside him. : Crossroads Killing :When connected to PSN, character data will be automatically uploaded and transferred into other players' game worlds, where he would appear as a wandering samurai (NPC), and players can defeat him to obtain the custom sword that another player created.How To Create Your Own Sword (Or Steal Another Player’s) In Way Of The Samurai 4Barge Into Another Person’s Game And Kill Them In Way Of The Samurai 4 This is called online tsujigiri. Downloadable content A Shinsengumi costume DLC pack was offered for free from March 24 to April 27, 2011. After that, it was priced $6. Players need to apply a patch before using any downloadable content.Way Of The Samurai 4 DLC Starts Off Free, A Month Later It’s Paid DLC Hijikata Toshizō and Kondō Isami are among the downloadable Shinsengumi characters. Dona Dona from the original Way of the Samurai and a grown-up version of the character Sayo from Way of the Samurai 2 are also available for download. Sayo will appear in the road and offer rice balls. Plus version On January 26, 2012, Way of the Samurai 4 was repackaged, bundled with all DLCs, and re-released as "Way of the Samurai 4 Plus" (at half price). Sakamoto Ryōma is available as playable character in this version.Way Of The Samurai 4 Finds Path Back To Retail With "Plus" Edition9 See also *''Way of the Samurai (game series)'' *''Way of the Samurai'' *''Way of the Samurai 2'' *''Way of the Samurai 3'' References External links *Publisher website *Developer website Category:Plot Category:Gameplay *